Audio 4:07
Former HSU head charged with 20 offences

Brendan TrembathUpdated
Thu 4 Oct 2012, 6:11 PM AEST

Police investigating alleged corruption within the Health Services Union have turned up the heat on the former official Michael Williamson. Mr Williamson has been charged with 20 offences, including hindering the investigation. He's not the only person of interest.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: Police investigating alleged corruption in the Health Services Union have turned up the heat on the former official Michael Williamson. He was arrested in Sydney's south early this morning and his home searched.

Mr Williamson has been charged with 20 offences, including hindering the investigation. He's not the only person of interest - the list is growing.

Brendan Trembath reports.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: In May, police raided the Pitt Street headquarters of the Health Services Union and seized computers and documents. Today, the corruption investigation shifted to the beachside suburb of Maroubra.

Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson is the commander of the fraud and cybercrime squad.

COLIN DYSON: About 7.45am this morning, police from the Strike Force Carnarvon arrested a 59-year-old Maroubra man here at Maroubra police station. He was later taken to his home, where a search warrant was executed, and returned here.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: The man of the moment, Michael Williamson, wore a dark suit and striped tie. Some of his neighbours used to wonder what he did for a living, but thanks to media coverage in the last few months they now know he was in charge of the Health Services Union.

Detective Superintendent Dyson has told reporters that just before police searched the union's Sydney offices in May, a bag was removed from the scene.

COLIN DYSON: There are separate allegations that he approached others and instructed them to delete computer files and computer data from HSU computers. And separate again, instructions given by him to others to destroy documents, those documents being American Express credit card statements.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: A number of people are under investigation.

COLIN DYSON: I want to make it clear that the investigation has not eliminated any persons of interest. In fact, we have more persons of interest now than we had at the start.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: Michael Williamson declined to speak to the waiting media as he returned to his home with police.

(Media scrum)

REPORTER: Mr Williamson, have you got anything to say about today's events?

CHRIS BROWN: Look, it's always a sad day when a union official is charged of wrongdoing.

I guess if there's a positive side to it, it means that, you know, all of the trauma that the HSU has been through in the last 12 months is starting to come to an end, which means we're getting to the point where we can start to put this behind us and actually move on and rebuild the union into what it should be.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: As far as the membership is concerned, what about the attrition, has that stopped?

CHRIS BROWN: It has stopped since we placed what are the now three branches - the New South Wales branch, the Victoria No 1 and Victoria No 3 branches - into administration, which means the leadership of those branches were sacked and fresh elections are currently underway, the resignations have slowed down considerably.

And what also surprised me, and I've only recently got the overall data, is that the number of members that have left over 12 months isn't anywhere near as high as what I would've expected it to be, which means well over 90 per cent of the membership have decided to stick with the union.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: The union's national secretary, Kathy Jackson, has also welcomed today's developments.

KATHY JACKSON: Hopefully, this will help members in their decision to vote for a fresh start in the forthcoming union elections.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has declined to comment on the charges against Michael Williamson because it's now a police matter.

The crossbencher Craig Thomson is not surprised. He was the union's national secretary before he entered parliament in 2007.

CRAIG THOMSON: I am not going to go into commentary about this issue. The matter is now before the courts, and it's appropriate that it be dealt with there. What I have always said is that I myself have been innocent of any allegations.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: The MP is accused of misusing union funds to pay for prostitutes, and on his election campaign. But he denies all the claims. The Federal Opposition hopes he might be forced out of Parliament, triggering a by-election in his seat of Dobell.